Dr. Howell’s Reflections
Everyday, Dr. Howell writes a reflection, inquiry prompt, and a prayer.
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The Little Things - Part 2
March 19, 2025
Some things are so small and inconspicuous that we can’t see them. Some things are microscopic and require magnification; other things are readily seen but are very small. In my experience, there is something precious about little things. I like seeing miniature horses and dogs, miniature houses and furniture, scale models of airplanes, and scale replicas of architectural buildings.
The Little Things - Part 1
March 18, 2025
All Creatures Great and Small, the acclaimed book by Alfred Wright, (James Herriot) is now a PBS television series. Set in the Yorkshire Dales of Northeast England, it is about a country veterinarian and his family from the 1930s to the 1950s. The heart of this story is how the veterinarian's practice of treating all kinds of animals brings him and his family closer to each other and to the people in the area. But more than that, it is about values, community, family, and the dignity of all living things. Over 80 million copies of this amazing story have been sold worldwide.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 7
March 17, 2025
What remarkable persons will you meet in the future? Who will come into your life to provide the guidance, words, insight, inspiration, and opportunity you need at that specific time? We cannot know who it will be, but we have some leverage in determining when and how it happens.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 6
March 16, 2025
We value the remarkable people who have come into our lives. They guide, protect, and influence us. Many embody our ideals, hopes, and aspirations. Some open up worlds of thought and activities that we would never have experienced without them. Some of these dear people have always been in our lives, and some for only a brief encounter. Yet their contributions to our soul are invaluable.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 5
March 15, 2025
Sometimes, the truth is very simple. But it takes just the right person to get it across.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 4
March 14, 2025
The word remarkable is from the Old French word “remarquable,” which means noteworthy. We have all had noteworthy people in our lives who made lasting impressions and who helped shape us. They are so vital to us that their influence remains, whether they are in our lives now, or not.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 3
March 13, 2025
Have you had any remarkable teachers? If so, you know the kind of impact they can make. It could have been the entire subject they taught, or it could have been one remark to you, or one conversation they had with you. Whatever the impact, it stuck with you in some “remarkable” way and their impact influences you to this day.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 2
March 12, 2025
In my mid-thirties, I was on a private retreat at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. During this part of my life, I occasionally went to this beautiful Trappist monastery when I needed clarity and comfort. I was on this particular retreat to discern something. My father had been stricken with a stroke, which altered his behavior. He was sometimes irrational and verbally aggressive, which would scare my son Ben, who was only two at the time.
Meetings with Remarkable People - Part 1
March 11, 2025
The movie, “Meetings with Remarkable Men,” is a biographical drama based on George Gurdjieff’s book by the same name. The story is about his search for truth as he journeys worldwide. On these travels, which began in the late 1800s, he met many people and learned many things. Along the way, Gurdjieff met with different teachers from whom he learned secrets about the universe, including the ancient wisdom of the Enneagram. The movie “Meetings with Remarkable Men” was released in the United States on August 5, 1979; Peter Brook directed it and stars Terence Stamp and Dragan Maksimović.
Meaning-Making Part 7
March 10, 2025
It’s very understandable when we become attached to our possessions. Many of them have profound meanings. Sometimes, we collect more and more of what we love; we may even hoard them. Some of our most meaningful possessions are not worth much monetarily, but to us, they are priceless.
Meaning-Making Part 6
March 9, 2025
A meaningful experience engages our mind, and we embody that experience in some profound way. A meaningful experience naturally involves our hearts and emotions, but most of all, it reverberates in our souls.
Meaning-Making Part 5
March 8 2025
Ancestry.com and other forums for finding our ancestral roots have captured the imaginations of thousands. 23andme, Living DNA, Family Tree DNA, SelfDecode, and Nebula Genomics are a few of the services on the market. The age group that most frequently buys these services is 34-54, with the 55+ age group running a close second. Why this is true is a matter of speculation. Still, one of the working hypotheses is that people with children and grandchildren are more acutely aware of their mortality and are interested in their family origins because it is a meaningful way of knowing who they are, with the bonus of passing that information down to their children.
Meaning-Making Part 4
March 7, 2025
“Meaning-making" is to intentionally experience that which we most value. For example, I had a meaningful conversation with someone this morning who I mentor and who I value very much. In mentoring this young person, I naturally pass along what I have learned, and because they are someone I cherish, it's a win-win for us both. We explore many issues of his life that I went through at his age. His honest and non-defensive approach to life is refreshing and inspiring. Therefore, my meetings with him have many levels of meaning. The fact that he, too, enjoys and benefits from the interaction adds another layer of value and meaning for me. It reminds me of when I was his age and other wonderful people mentored me. Those were meaningful times and the precious memories of these remarkable people are very meaningful to my soul.
Meaning-Making Part 3
March 6, 2025
Many things in our lives have tremendous meaning, like times with family and loved ones. And meaningful work is fantastic and rewarding. Being part of something greater than ourselves is another meaningful endeavor. Our minds, bodies, and hearts embrace our meaningful things, and we cherish most, the ones that are charged with love, happiness, and fulfillment.
Meaning-Making Part 2
March 5, 2025
What are the most meaningful things in your life? Why are they so meaningful to you? Do they have meaning because of love, fascination, or perhaps because of a soul connection? This week, we reflect on the meaning of meaning itself, how we determine what is most meaningful to us, and the sacred art of meaning-making.
Meaning-Making Part 1
March 4, 2025
What are the most meaningful things in your life? Why are they so meaningful to you? Do they have meaning because of love, fascination, or perhaps because of a soul connection? This week, we reflect on the meaning of meaning itself, how we determine what is most meaningful to us, and the sacred art of meaning-making.
Sacred Kinship Part 7
March 3, 2025
Sacred Kinship goes beyond the humans into the realm of all animals. A dog or cat may not be able to articulate love with words, yet they express the soul's qualities of love in profound and unmistakable ways. Horses and many other animals provide comfort, support, and love. Lions, tigers, and apes raised by humans and then released into the wild have been known to recognize their first "parent." There are YouTube videos of reunions between animals and their human parents, who loved their animals so much that they released them back into the wild.
Sacred Kinship Part 6
March 2, 2025
Sacred Kinship is essential to make the world go around. If no one supported each other spiritually, the world would be totally at odds. There would be kinship, but instead of being based on the sacred, it would be based solely on how the person or persons materially benefit. For example, the mafia has kinship. Also, warring countries exhibit “kinship” when negotiating a peace agreement, but their kinship is brought about only because they share in the desire to end the war. And the old saying, “There is honor among thieves” coveys that Kinship isn’t necessarily sacred.